The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-12-21
SAVING A LIFE.
A Young Man Tells Why He Ii No Longer
In the Hero Business.

A Young Man Tells Why He Ii NO Longer
In the Hero Business.
l am good swimmer. and, am
told, noted for my feats of skill and
endurance in the water. If wasn't /
would not be alive now to tell my
story.
My knowledge Of the art combined
with q perfect confidence in myself,
have, on three different occasions,
saved my life, when others. giving me
up for lost, have stood by, watching
me nearly drown. without an attempt
at rescue, although some of them were
capital swimmers.
OF course, they yelled and rushed
madly about, and threw things in the
water. and shouted crazy commands,
but not one of them would risk his
precious life for mine. ! thoroughly
detest such cowardice.
Though have always burned to dis
tinguish myself in saving life. and
have often purposely gone where my
services in that line might be needed.
it was only recently that the longed-
for emergency came to enable me to
prove myself the brave and fearless
man that knew I was. 1t happened
thiswise.
Attached to the hotel where was
boarding was an immense cistern so
deep and dangerous that its vicinity
was forbidden playground for the
children.
], as was my custom. was lounging
on the beach in front OF the hotel.
watching the bathers. especially the
venturesome ones. and hoping that one
of them might give me the desired
chance to rescue him, or rather her.
from the breakers before all the people
there and be crowned hero, with my
name conspicuously printed in all the
papers.
One beautiful girl in particular ]
noticed, and each time she tossed her
shapely bare arms from the water my
heart leaped in my throat, for l thought
my dream of rescuing lovely heiress
and then marrying her was about to
he realized.
As her handsome form floated grace.
fully on the crest of the waves farther
and farther from the shore, I grew
. more excited over the glorious pros
pect of heroism before me.
The laundering surf was very high
and filed with sand, showing the ebb-
ing tide was making strong UNDER
tow.
Recklessly or ignorant of danger
my angel continued to increase the
distance between herself and safety.
Iwould have hallooed to her but fol
the grand feeling within me that was
there able and anxious to save her:
just then females agonized Shrek
from the direction of the hotel brought
me to my senses. More shrieks and q
hurrying crowd toward the cistern told
me that my hour of triumph had
arrived. My nerves suddenly seemed
as iron. my head grew cool, and l felt,
now at last on trial. that l was more
than equal to the awful emergency be-
fore me.
l certainly preferred to rescue an
heiress from the more romantic ocean,
but thought while pushing my way
through the terror-stricken crowd try
ing to gaze into the dark and ugly
cistern that perhaps saving her little
brother or sister might be also re.
warded with heart and hand.
'Tommie had fallen into the
cisternr' I waited to hear no more.
MAKE way!' cried, as without
taking time to remove even my coal
l plunged fearlessly into that black
and chilling rain water
Iopened my eyes and tried to see,
but the frightened heads above me
shut out all light. ! dove and CROPPED
this way and that, vainly trying to find
the unconscious body of the drowning
child.
listened for its cry. but the noise
above prevented my hearing. Tht
suspense was horrible. ! swan to the
opening to shout for light and air.
when down dropped a heavy ladder
hitting me between the eyes, partially
stunning and forcing me down, stran'
Cling. to the Shiny, nasty bottom
There in that hideous trap. if a colorei
waiter hadn't at once climbed dowI
and hauled me up and out, I would
have miserably persisted in trying tx
save the life of Tommie-the cat-wht
crawled up the ladder after us, looking
no less ridiculous than ], gasping ant
dripping, on the cistern box, with my
fair bather covered with shawl laugh
ing at us both. and Offering quarter
to the man who jumped in after hel
darling Tommie.
| I'm not in the life-saving business
any more. II C. Dodge, t" Yanke'
, Blade
One for the Microbe.